Mikkel and Jytte Hansen, married for 56 years, are on a life journey with Jytte managing Parkinson's disease, and Mikkel functioning as her caregiver.

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Three years ago, 84-year-old Jytte Hansen was diagnosed with Parkinson disease.

She isn't alone in managing the disease. The Michael J. Fox Foundation reports that it is estimated that some one million people in the United States, and more than five million worldwide, have Parkinson's disease. The exact cause of the disease is still unknown, although research points to genetic and environmental factors.

"I wasn't surprised at the diagnosis, because I had suspected that it was Parkinson disease," Hansen said. "I had a pronounced tremor in my right hand, and my mother had had it. I saw my ...